Queen Hustlaz Part 2 Page 7

  Since the fire, he had been given a new team of officers of his choosing. Detective Harris couldn’t handle being in the homicide department, so he decided to change careers. He was now a parole officer, and he was satisfied. Detective Rone’s new lead detective, Emily Jackson, had taken a keen interest in Dana Crisp’s case as well. She had been promoted since she started working with Detective Rone a year and a half ago, and she wanted to close the case just as much as he did.

  “Yes, we are going.”

  “Rone, what do you think about Dana’s new nurse?” Emily asked.

  “She seems like a nice person,” Detective Rone answered.

  “Yeah, I guess she does,” Emily replied, smiling.

  “Well, let’s head on out and get started. We need to go to Office Depot to see if we can get the surveillance footage for September sixteenth and get a statement from the people who were working that day,” Detective Rone stated, referring to his latest case.

  “Ten-four!” Emily Jackson said, as she grabbed her folders and walked out the door.

  The two exited the building and walked down the steps, greeting other officers as they passed by. It was a cool fall day, and October was right around the corner. As they walked out of the building, Detective Rone inhaled deeply and exhaled. “Fresh air!”

  * * *

  Thad called Chris and asked him to meet him at the trap house, which was the only thing bringing in money for him. After everything that happened between him and Orlando, no one wanted to fuck with Thad on any plays. He really wasn’t as focused on getting money as he used to be, because he was still reeling from his brother’s death. The vision of how they’d beaten Toby haunted Thad daily. Thad knew that it was a matter of time before they came for him, but he wasn’t going to wait around for them to come. He was going to seek out his own revenge on anyone he felt had something to do with Toby’s death.

  Chris was the one who mostly maintained the trap house. He had brought in some new girls, and the money was flowing constantly, which kept Thad and Chris living comfortably.

  When Thad arrived at the trap house, he found Chris in the office looking over the books. “What’s up, Chris?” Thad said as he sat down in the chair opposite Chris.

  “What’s going on, Thad? How are you doing today?” Chris asked.

  “Man, just trying to keep my head up. It’s hard without Toby,” Thad whispered.

  Chris knew that Thad was hurting, and even though he still looked at Thad as being a snake, he couldn’t turn his back on him at that moment.

  “Ay, man, come and ride out with me for a while,” Thad said.

  “All right. Let me finish this up and I will be ready,” Chris said, as he typed in some numbers on the calculator.

  Thad looked around the room and memories of Toby flooded his mind. He shook his head several times and finally excused himself. “Ay, man, I’ma wait for you in the car.”

  “I’m right behind you, bro!” Chris replied.

  Five minutes later, Chris was in the car heading down the highway with Thad. Thad was smoking on a blunt and was strangely quiet. Chris looked at him and quickly looked out the window. He wondered where Thad was going and finally asked, “Ay, man, where we going?”

  “I figured we’d go see an old friend. It’s way overdue, if you ask me,” Thad said emotionlessly, which instantly put Chris on edge.

  Chris again glanced out the window and suddenly recognized a few buildings, which set him more on edge. He didn’t know what was going through Thad’s mind, but he wasn’t going out like a sucker if Thad tried him. Chris put his hand to his side, because if he had to get to his gun that was on his hip, he would be able to pull it out quickly.

  Thad finally pulled into Austin’s car garage, which looked deserted and dark. After Thad parked the car, he looked over at Chris. “Come on, nigga, get out!”

  Chris rolled his eyes slightly, exhaled hard, and exited the car. As the two men entered the garage, they spotted Austin lying under a car, changing what appeared to be brakes.

  “Hey, now! What’s up, Austin?” Thad said as he approached the car.

  Chris lingered close to the door of the garage, keeping a small distance between him and Thad. Austin slid away from under the car, stood up, gave Thad a brotherly hug, and replied, “Damn, man, it’s been a while. What you been up to?”

  “Shit, nothing at all,” Thad answered. “Just been trying to keep my head above water, you know. You’ve been MIA yourself, dude.”

  “I know, man. I had to make a few changes with my life. My girl got pregnant, and I couldn’t continue on the path I was on. I had to think about the future of my baby. So I told Toby I couldn’t fuck around like that. He said he understood. What’s up, Chris? You standing over there and ain’t said shit,” Austin said, looking at Chris.

  “I’m just paying attention to my surroundings, that’s all. You know how that is,” Chris said calmly.

  Thad rubbed his face a few times, looking very serious. “So you saying you spoke to Toby?”

  “Uh, yeah, man. I told him that I couldn’t—”

  Thad interrupted Austin. “Yeah, I heard that, but when did you speak to him is my question,” Thad continued to pry.

  “A few months back! Yeah, it was very brief,” Austin replied.

  “Man, Chris, come on over here with us. You’re standing over there like you scared of something. Did you just hear what Austin said?” Thad asked, with a look on his face that Chris couldn’t quite read.

  “I feel you on that. I haven’t heard from Toby in a few months, though. What the hell he been up to?” Austin asked as he reached to grab a lug wrench and placed it down on the mat he had been lying on.

  No one but Thad and Chris knew that Toby had been killed. They were told that if they went to the cops, they would be next. Thad knew his time was coming anyway, so he planned to get a little vengeance himself. When Austin asked about Toby, it set something off inside Thad. He stood and watched as Austin lay back down on the mat, slid back under the car, and continued to work on the brakes. Chris shook his head and walked slowly over to where Thad was standing.

  “Chris, Austin wants to know what’s up with Toby. Why don’t you tell him?”

  Chris looked at Thad with a frown on his face. “Are you serious?”

  “Hell yeah! Tell the man!” Thad growled.

  “Well uh, Austin, man, Toby was killed a little over a year ago, and we were told not to tell anyone or else we would be next,” Chris mumbled.

  A loud thud was heard from under the car as Austin dropped the wrench he was holding. “Say what?” he asked quietly.

  “You heard him! As if you didn’t know! There ain’t no damn way you fucking talked to Toby!” Thad said through clenched teeth.

  Before Austin could move or respond, Thad kicked away the jack that had the car hoisted up, and the car fell, crashing down on top of Austin and crushing his ribs.

  “What the fuck!” Chris shouted as he jumped back. He had no idea that Thad was planning on doing that.

  Thad bent down and looked under the car. Blood was seeping out from under it, and Austin could be heard gasping for air. “Bitch, I know you had something to do with my brother getting murdered. What, did you think that you were going to take over our business? Bitch, you were never going to be us! Yeah, it took me a minute to figure it out, but you were the link to Sergio and Ramon. I know you were. You fucking got my brother killed, you snitch!”

  “I didn’t do it!” Austin whispered as his life slowly slipped away.

  Thad stood up and looked at Chris. “Let’s get out of here.”

  The two left Austin’s shop and headed back to the trap house. Chris looked over at Thad. “What if he didn’t do it?”

  “That muthafucka had something to do with it. Why the hell would he lie about talking to Toby?” Thad yelled.

  “Man, I don’t know. I’m just saying what if he didn’t have anything to do with it. You just killed a man without any proof that he did
anything.”

  “I know the bastard was the snitch, but shit, if he wasn’t the snitch then I may need to place my focus elsewhere, huh?” Thad said, glancing over at Chris.

  “I know you aren’t looking at me like I’m the one who had bruh hemmed up! I ain’t had shit to do with anything!” Chris replied.

  “Mm-hmm. I hope not! Shit could get real crazy, if you know what I mean,” Thad mumbled as he turned the music up and continued to drive, not uttering another word.

  Chris now felt threatened, and he decided he had to figure out a way to get Thad before Thad got him.

  Chapter Eight

  Pam Mebane woke up Thursday morning and lay in bed, hoping that she would hear from Jeryca. They were out of school for a teachers’ workday, and Pam didn’t know what she was going to do. She got up, took her shower, and dried off. As she opened the door, she heard her mother talking to Todd. Their voices were slightly raised, and Pam slowly shut the door so she could eavesdrop without being seen.

  “Damn, all I’m asking is that you call her and see if she will loan you a few thousand dollars! It’s not like she ain’t got it, Sheila! You told me yourself that Jeryca sends you money every week to help out with Pam. All I’m asking you to do is ask her for a few thousand dollars. You don’t understand. These guys are going to kill me if I don’t come up with their money!” she heard Todd yell.

  “I don’t want to ask my daughter for that much money! What am I supposed to tell her I need it for?” she heard her mother ask.

  “Baby, please, I don’t have anyone else to ask! Do you want to see me dead?” he asked Sheila.

  There was a brief silence, and then Pam heard her mother sigh. “No, I don’t want to see you dead. I will see what I can do. I just got to come up with a good excuse for needing the money.”

  “Thanks, baby. You are the best,” Todd said, before opening up the door to Sheila’s bedroom.

  Pam quietly and quickly closed the bathroom door all the way and locked it. She couldn’t believe how gullible her mother was. Jeryca was right about her, and the more she saw her mother interact with Todd, the more Pam resented her.

  After Todd left, Pam walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where her mother was fixing some coffee. “What’s for breakfast?”

  “No ‘good morning’?” her mother asked.

  “Excuse me. Good morning, Mom. Are you cooking breakfast?”

  “You are old enough to cook for yourself. I’m not your servant!” she answered agitatedly.

  This took Pam by surprise, because she had never heard such venom in her mother’s voice before. At least, not toward her.

  “Neva mind, Ma! I will just go hungry!” Pam said, shaking her head.

  “I know you will if you waiting for me to cook something. Y’all grown asses around here kill me expecting somebody to wait on you hand and foot. I’m not gonna do it,” Sheila slurred.

  Pam looked at her mom, wondering why she was talking like that. As she walked closer to her, she realized that her mother had been drinking, which was out of character for her. Pam walked out the door and immediately dialed her sister’s number, but she got no answer.

  * * *

  Pam left for a few hours to get away from her mother, but when she returned, a sickening sight greeted her. Her mother was on her knees, giving Todd a massive head job. They were so engrossed in each other they didn’t see or hear her come in. She immediately turned around and ran from the house. She felt sick to her stomach. She could barely tolerate hearing them having sex, but to witness firsthand her mom giving him head was too much for her. She didn’t understand why they would even be having sex in the living room. They were well aware that she was going to come back home.

  She walked to the park, sat on the bench, and tried Jeryca again, but again got no answer. After about an hour, Pam noticed that there was an older gentleman sitting across from her, just staring at her. She looked around and was slightly at ease seeing that there were other people sitting around. She walked over and began talking with a few kids she knew from school. She glanced back to where the man had been, and he was gone.

  She decided to call her mom to let her know she was on her way home. She didn’t want to walk in on any more of her mother and Todd’s sickening exploits. After she got off the phone with her mother, she waited around until the other kids left and she followed suit. She wasn’t going to walk home alone. It wasn’t the first time she had seen that weird man lurking around.

  When Pam walked into the house, her mom was in the kitchen cooking. She walked past Todd without even acknowledging his existence.

  “Ay, girl, don’t you know how to speak when you walk into the house? I know your mammy taught you better than that!” Todd sneered.

  Pam ignored his question and went straight to her room. She could hear Todd telling her mother that she needed to teach her how to respect others or he would.

  Pam rushed into the living room where Todd was, and she stood directly in his face. “Nigga, you ever think you gon’ do something to me, it will be the last time you think about doing something! I will make sure you regret it! I’m not scared of yo’ punk ass, you bum! Get a job with your lazy-ass self! Stop trying to get my mother to take money from my sister to pay your debts, bitch!”

  Sheila ran into the living room and pushed her way in between Pam and Todd. “Pam, go in your room! Now, he is a guest, and you will be respectful. Do you hear me?”

  Pam looked at her mother in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that her mother was actually taking Todd’s side. She looked at Todd and saw that he was smirking and nodding. Pam rushed to her room and dialed Jeryca’s number again. She still didn’t get an answer, so she left her a message.

  “Hey, sis, please call me as soon as possible. This muthafucka just lost his mind insinuating that he is going to do something to me, and Mom has lost hers as well taking up for him. Please call me as soon as you can. Oh, and, sis, I think someone is following me. I don’t know who he is, but I’ve seen him a few times. Please call me back, okay?” Pam hung up and lay across her bed until she fell asleep.

  * * *

  Pam left her house early the next morning, heading to school. She usually wouldn’t have left that early, but she didn’t want any more run-ins with her mom. She knew that Todd had already left for work two hours before she walked out of the house, because she ran into him as he walked half naked into the bathroom. She needed to get away from her mother’s house quickly, and she prayed that Jeryca would send for her soon, just as she’d promised. She dialed Jeryca’s number once again, praying she answered.

  * * *

  Miami, Florida

  “J, baby, you got a phone call!” Orlando yelled.

  “Who is it?” Jeryca asked.

  “It’s Pam. She wants to talk to you,” Orlando answered.

  “Bring the phone to me please, sir,” Jeryca yelled.

  Orlando took the phone to Jeryca and then answered his cell phone, which had been ringing off and on all morning. Orlando knew who it was, but he was trying to hold off from talking to them, at least until he could make up a lie that would work. As he walked away to talk business, Jeryca was cleaning herself up so she could talk to her sister.

  “What’s up, baby girl?” she asked as she walked into the bedroom.

  “Jeryca, Momma is tripping. She don’t talk to me like she used to, we argue all the time, and she lets her boyfriend say whatever he wants to me! Our relationship has worsened, and it’s driving me crazy.”

  “Shit, you know how Momma is. You just got to deal with it, sis,” Jeryca replied.

  “I just can’t. And this lame-ass boyfriend thinks the sun rises and sets on him. Momma be so far up his ass, she does everything he tells her to, and, sis, she has started drinking. I know it’s all because of him. I swear, I can’t stand him,” Pam said.

  “He can’t be that bad, sis. Give him a break. He might be cool if you just relax on him,” Jeryca pointed out.

 
“Jeryca, you just don’t know. I’m telling you something isn’t right with this man and Momma ain’t trying to see it. He looks at me in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable, sis!” Pam cried.

  “Well, I am still gonna send for you just as soon as I can talk to Mom, which I know will make you feel better,” Jeryca replied, understanding Pam a lot more than she wanted to confess.

  “Please make that happen. Oh, and he asked Mom to ask you for some money so he can pay some type of money he owe out,” Pam squealed.

  “He what? I know that nigga don’t think I’ma send any money to him for anything!” Jeryca laughed.

  “Don’t tell Mom I told you that ’cause she supposed to be asking you soon and using me as a reason for needing the money. They don’t even know that I know anything about it. I overheard his beggin’ ass pleading with Mom while I was in the bathroom,” Pam explained.

  “Shit, I’m glad you told me that. I can’t believe that nigga and Mom think they can trick me out of some cash. After all I do for Mom, she would really do that?” Jeryca asked.

  “I told you, she isn’t herself, Jeryca. He has her brainwashed,” Pam said.

  “More like dick whipped!” Jeryca corrected her, laughing.

  Pam laughed. “I love you, sis!”

  “I love you too. I will call Mom tomorrow and talk to her about you coming here, okay?” Jeryca replied.

  “Okay. Talk to you later, sis!” Pam said.

  After she concluded her call with Pam, she went searching for Orlando. They had bought a two-story, four-bedroom condo close to the beach. Jeryca was living the life she always knew she was destined to live. Orlando had become Sergio’s top man in Florida, and he moved shipments all up and down the East Coast, as well as in Hawaii. They had their own personal yacht and drove around on the streets in a black Mercedes-Benz SUV and a pearl white and pink Cadillac Escalade. Jeryca was living the life of a queen, and she wasn’t going to give it up for anyone.

  She maintained contact with Valerie and Desiree almost daily. They had become friends and executed three plays together, from which Jeryca’s cut was a total of $400,000. She sent money home to her mother regularly, and her mother appreciated every dime. But what she really wanted was for Jeryca to move back home where she belonged. Jeryca refused, knowing that the police were probably looking for her. She and Orlando had been given new identities with Ramon’s help and were known to the locals there as Betty and Vick Logan.